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Leeds United tabled club record £38.9million bid for PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo
Leeds United tabled a club-record bid of £38.9million for PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo on Wednesday evening according to journalist Marco Timmer.
The Athletic has since reported (1 September) that the Eredivisie side have decided against selling the 23-year-old Dutch international this summer and are hopeful of agreeing on a new contract.
Timmer revealed (via his personal Twitter, that Leeds made a record-breaking offer just before the Dutch deadline on Wednesday evening (31 August).
However, it’s understood the scenario had to be right for Gakpo to move to Elland Road and that wasn’t the case in this transfer window.
Intent shown
Leeds have shown some intent over the course of the summer, but offering nearly £40million for Gakpo should highlight the backing that Jesse Marsch has received.
Initially, PSV were thought to be holding out for £25million for the 23-year-old winger, so it’s remarkable that they’ve turned down £38.9million from Leeds for his services.
The club hierarchy must have been preparing for his arrival after a bid of that size was submitted to the Eredivisie side.
However, it appears that a move is off for now and the club must move on quickly to other targets with a striker still required at Elland Road.
Wolves forward Hwang Hee-Chan is a name that has been mentioned and he could be a good fit in Marsch’s high-pressing system.
Rodrigo’s excellent early season form had seemingly eased Leeds’ striker issues, but his nasty injury against Everton now surely means another forward has to come through the door at Elland Road.
Patrick Bamford’s injury record cannot be relied upon and Joe Gelhardt shouldn’t be required to be Marsch’s main man this season.
The record-breaking bid for Gakpo could well be used to add an out-and-out centre forward to Leeds’ ranks.
In other Leeds United news, we’ve been exclusively told how a Radrizzani agreement is blocking the 49ers from investing in the club.